When parents were forced to carry dead sons home on shoulders after lack of treatment in Gadchiroli

A young couple from Aheri taluka in Maharashtra was compelled to carry the bodies of their two deceased sons who died from a fever for 15 km.

This was allegedly owing to delayed treatment from a hospital. They undertook this journey from the hospital to their village in Gadchiroli, where Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis serves as the Guardian Minister, a top leader reported, yesterday, Thursday, September 5. This was stated in a report by IANS. 

A disturbing video has emerged showing the unidentified couple, transporting the bodies of their two minor sons, both under 10 years old, on their shoulders along a muddy forest path. The video was shared by Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.

"The two brothers were suffering from a fever but did not receive timely treatment. Within a few hours, their condition worsened, and they passed away within the next hour," Wadettiwar said, posting the tragic video.

He further added, "There was no ambulance available to transport the boys' bodies to their village, Pattigaon. The parents had no choice but to walk 15 km through a rain-soaked, muddy path. This incident starkly highlights the grim state of the healthcare system in Gadchiroli."

Wadettiwar criticised the MahaYuti allies, noting that BJP's Fadnavis is the Guardian Minister for Gadchiroli and Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Dharmarao Baba Atram serves as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Minister in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's government.

"Both make claims of how the state can develop every day by conducting events all over Maharashtra. They should go down to the ground level and see how the people live in Gadchiroli and the death toll there," said Wadettiwar.

This incident marks the second such occurrence from the Vidarbha region this week highlighted by the Congress LoP.

Besides that, on September 1, a tribal woman delivered a stillborn child at home and subsequently died owing to the lack of timely ambulance service from a local hospital.

The woman, Kavita A Sakol from Dahendri village in the Melghat tribal region of Amravati, went into labour and her family requested an ambulance from local health authorities but was told it would take at least four hours.

"The struggle for life ended for both the mother and the infant on Sunday morning. Their deaths underscore the inadequate health infrastructure and reveal the negligence of officials in Melghat. The government, which seeks votes through the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme by paying Rs 1500/month, should have used the funds for ambulances instead of for publicity," Wadettiwar said.

Both incidents have sparked strong reactions on social media, although there has been no official response so far.